“Don’t keep hoarding for yourselves earthly treasures that can be stolen by thieves. Material wealth eventually rusts, decays, and loses its value. Instead, stockpile heavenly treasures for yourselves that cannot be stolen and will never rust, decay, or lose their value. For your heart will always pursue what you esteem as your treasure.” – Jesus Christ
Recently, I wrote a blog about my new car, Jewel, and how much I loved her. I also told you that my mom had warned me about loving my car too much and had used the above scripture to punctuate her point. But I wasn’t scared because I knew God had given me that car. Well, wouldn’t you know, Jewel got stolen!
It was the ultimate twist of fate. I took my new car to the dealership to get ceramic coated (shining up my earthly treasure), and the dealership was broken into, and my car was stolen. Oh, the irony! I had been worried about it being stolen from my house, but instead, it got pinched at the dealership! I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.
When the police called, I immediately heard my mother’s warning, and the thought ran through my mind that God was punishing me for loving my car too much. However I squashed that thought and swiftly defaulted to my belief in the love of God, His goodness, and knowing that He had given me that car as a gift. I also remembered what Jesus said when He warned, “It’s the thief that comes to kill, steal, and destroy, but I have come so you can have life, and life more abundantly.” That told me immediately that God was not the cause of the theft.
One important lesson is that abundant life doesn’t mean living without problems. Even a loving and benevolent God doesn’t always prevent bad things from happening to us. As Jesus said, “In this world, there will be suffering…” and He meant it. In this sinful and painful world, we experience the loss of loved ones, financial struggles, and new cars getting stolen. However, Jesus also said we should “be of good cheer because I have overcome the world.” This promise of overcoming life’s challenges is the beacon of hope that guides us through the darkest times.
After Jewel was stolen, I began to ponder what Jesus meant when He said that the world would bring us sorrow but reassured us not to fret because He had conquered the world. I realized that no one faced more challenges and sorrow than Jesus, yet He navigated through life as if He was wearing Kevlar. He accomplished this by prioritizing His love for God over His own life.
All this has helped me understand the enduring nature of faith. When Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength,” He was offering a promise of bulletproof living. This type of living is not immune to sorrows but is built on a solid foundation. Cars can be stolen, jobs can be lost, and loved ones can die, but our faith remains steadfast, providing us with unsinkable courage. Faith, in this context, is not just a belief in God’s existence, but a deep trust in His love and His promises, which gives us the strength to endure life’s challenges. Our assurance is not in the fleeting comforts of this world but in the one who overcame the world, offering us a secure and enduring hope.
It is also worth noting that while God doesn’t always stop bad things from happening, He does promise that He will always, always, and I mean always, use them for our good. The good I got out of this situation was twofold. First, I discovered deeper layers of God’s love because He sure kept my cheese from sliding off my cracker through this ordeal. And second, He got me another brand-new car, just like Jewel, only better, because this one came ceramic coated! Her name is Gemma because she is a gem! So, in the end, I went from never owning a new car to owning two in under three months! Yay, God!
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